The Daily Telegraph used picture of wrong woman as drug overdose victim on front page
The Daily Telegraph used a picture of the wrong woman who it had identified as the victim of a drug overdose at the Stereosonic music festival over the weekend on its front page today.
The News Corp owned newspaper ran a prominent image of a young woman which it claimed was Sylvia Choi, who died after taking what was believed to be ecstasy at the music festival over the weekend.
However, police have since released the correct image of Choi, forcing the paper to change its articles online however at the time of publishing the Daily Telegraph’s digital edition with the wrong image was still live.
The image of the wrong woman also ran top in The Daily Telegraph’s e-newsletter and Mumbrella understands it also ran on news.com.au.
The Daily Telegraph has since updated its website with the new image. It is currently not known who the other woman is.
In September last year Fairfax Media used an image of the wrong man on three of its front pages in articles about a teenage terror-suspect shot by police.
In March this year the publisher reached an out of court settlement, which included a front page apology and letter to the community, a $20,000 donation to the construction of a proposed Afghan mosque in Doveton Victoria, and a confidential payment in damages, with the man.
News Corp declined to comment on how the image was identified and sourced and if the newspaper would be issuing a correction.
Miranda Ward
Update 5.58pm:
The Daily Telegraph has just sent out a news wrap with a subject line and headline which spells the dead woman’s name incorrectly as Syvlia rather than Sylvia.
It’s always good to know that I can trust the news outlets are correct…
How do they hire these journo’s?!
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And this: http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/a.....ournalists
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That’s weird, because I swear I can remember a Daily Tele editorial attacking Fairfax for getting a front page photo very wrong. I’m pretty sure the phrases ‘failed media outlet’ and ‘sloppy journalism’ were used. I remember thinking at the time the Tele better be sure it never makes the same mistake.
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I remember back in the day, when I worked for local papers in London, I used to have to do what we called “death knocks” when people in the community died. I’d ask for a quote, and a picture, and on a good day, I’d get a cup of tea, and long chat about the life of the deceased, all of which would go into the paper the next day. It wasn’t the most fun part of the job, but the job was reporting accurately. Does anybody do that anymore, or do they just hit Facebook, type “Sylvia Choi Sydney” into the search and pick the first one on the list? It appears that yes, they do. Lazy!! Gutless!! And these so-called “newspaper journalists” have the nerve to say bloggers and independent websites are destroying their businesses.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007517808294…
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Still waiting for The Australian’s Media section and its highly respected editor Darren Davidson to weigh in on this. The Australian went to town when the Age made a similar mistake. Surely the always independent Davidson will now hold the Telegraph to account as well, perhaps call for Paul Whittaker to resign.
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not to mention having the woman’s face placed side by side with that headline about the aussie link to the Paris attacks. association much??
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Is that accurate news or did you read about it on the Tele?
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So… are there grounds for this girl to seek damages?
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@Is there a case – Potentially. I suspect it could have caused considerable distress to her and her family and friends. Imagine hearing that someone who had the same name as a friend of yours had passed away and then seeing their photo. Regardless of any legal ramifications it’s really journalism 101 to get this sort of thing right. Particularly when dealing with such an awful situation which would be so incredibly emotional. I assume they’ve apologised to everyone concern by now?
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Probably the only credible things remaining in the Tele are the advertisements.
Please tell me they are true…………..
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Very poor form by the Telegraph but the Mumbrella update…..
“The Daily Telegraph has just sent out a news wrap with a subject line and headline which spells the dead woman’s name incorrectly as Syvlia rather than Sylvia.”
….is pretty piss weak given the number of typos that Mumbrella comes up with (followed by an edit after it has been pointed out)
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And, after all that, the headline writer couldn’t spell her name correctly…
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It is catching.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Sylvia+Choi&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjY5JyRr7nJAhUHJaYKHXacATsQ_AUIBygB&biw=1920&bih=955#imgrc=dnYIPbxEN1H0XM%3A
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Hi Danny,
Thanks for your comment.
We’re moving to address the typos with a new sub editor, unlike the Tele which has a dedicated team of them to catch that kind of thing in subject headings to their extensive databases.
Cheers,
Alex – editor, Mumbrella
Like what you did there, Alex. It was deliberate, wasn’t it 😉
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Nice edit of your own comment Mumbrella. The ironing was delicious.
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And this comes just days after invading the privacy of 198 banned football (soccer) fans, by publishing their names and pictures in print and online – fans who had been given no right of appeal, and some of which were under age. Bravo, Daily Tele, you must be so proud.
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….another day, another reason why its hardly a surprise newspapers are going out of business.
My guess is less trust of the Tele (not that there is much) = less sales = more lay offs. = more time pressure on the poor sods still at the tele = more of these mistakes = the cycle continuing until someone turns the lights off in the office for the last time.
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My God, the two girls don’t even look the same.
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